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Canned Heat
First Line-Up: *Bob Hite - vocals, harp *Alan Wilson - bottleneck guitar, harp, vocals *Mike Perlowin - lead guitar *Stuart Brotman - bass *Keith Sawyer - drums Perlowin and Sawyer dropped out within a few days, so guitarist Kenny Edwards (a friend of Wilson) stepped in to replace Perlowin, and Ron Holmes agreed to sit in on drums until they could find a permanent drummer. Henry Vestine (who had been expelled from Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention for excessive drug use), asked if he could join the band and was accepted while still keeping Edwards on temporarily. Soon Edwards departed (he went on to form the Stone Poneys with Linda Ronstadt) and at the same time Frank Cook came in to replace Holmes as their permanent drummer. Cook already had substantial professional experience, having performed with such jazz luminaries as bassist Charlie Haden, trumpeter Chet Baker, and pianist Elmo Hope and had also collaborated with black soul/pop artists such as Shirley Ellis and Dobie Gray. The line-up of Hite, Wilson, Cook, Vestine, and Brotman recorded the band's first (unreleased) album in 1966 produced by Johnny Otis; but the record was not actually released until 1970 when it appeared as Vintage Heat, released by Janus Records. Over a summer hiatus in 1966 Stuart Brotman effectively left Canned Heat after he had signed a contract for a long engagement in Fresno with an Armenian belly-dance revue. Canned Heat had contacted Brotman, touting a recording contract which had to be signed the next day, but Brotman was unable to make the signing on short notice. Brotman would go on to join the world-music band Kaleidoscope with David Lindley, replacing Chris Darrow. Replacing Brotman in Canned Heat was Mark Andes, who lasted only a couple of months before he returned to his former colleagues in the Red Roosters, who adopted the new name Spirits Rebellious, later shortened to Spirit. After joining up with managers Skip Taylor and John Hartmann, Canned Heat finally found a permanent bassist in Larry Taylor, who joined in March 1967. He was a former member of The Moondogs and the brother of Ventures' drummer, Mel Taylor, and already had experience backing Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry in concert, and recording studio sessions for The Monkees. In this format (Hite, Wilson, Vestine, Taylor, Cook) the band started recording in April 1967 for Liberty Records with Calvin Carter who had been the head of A&R for Vee Jay Records and had recorded such bluesmen as Jimmy Reed & John Lee Hooker. They recorded "Rollin' and Tumblin'" backed with "Bullfrog Blues" became Canned Heat's first single. The first official album, Canned Heat, was released three months later in July 1967. Soon after Frank Cook was replaced with Adolfo de la Parra, who had been playing the drums in Bluesberry Jam (the band which evolved into Pacific Gas & Electric). As an official member of Canned Heat, de la Parra played his first gig on December 1, 1967, at the Long Beach Auditorium. This began what is regarded as the classic and perhaps best known Canned Heat lineup, which recorded some of the band's most famous and well-regarded songs. During this "classic" period, Skip Taylor and John Hartmann introduced the use of band member nicknames: Line-up: August 1967 - August 1969 *Bob (The Bear) Hite - vocals, harp *Alan (Blind Owl) Wilson - guitar, harp, vocals *Henry (Sunflower) Vestine - guitar *Larry (The Mole) Taylor - bass *Adolfo (Fito) De La Parra - drums 1966 1966 Ash Grove, Los Angeles, CA 1967 1967 UCLA, Los Angeles, CA January 20, 1967 Ash Grove, Los Angeles, CA February 17-19, 1967 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco, CA February 24-26, 1967 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco, CA (supporting Otis Rush & His Chicago Blues Band & the Grateful Dead) April 7-8, 1967 Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco, CA (supporting Charlatans & Sparrow]] April 14-16, 1967 Kaleidoscope, Hollywood, CA (supporting Jefferson Airplane & the Grateful Dead) June 8-11, 1967 Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco, CA June 17, 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, Monterey, CA June 20-22, 1967 Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco, CA June 24, 1967 Earl Warren Showgrounds, Santa Barbara, CA August 10-13, 1967 Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco, CA September 2 or 3, 1967 Magic Music Festival Cabrillo College Stadium, Santa Cruz, CA September 24, 1967 Cafe-Au-Go-Go, New York City, NY October 20-21, 1967 1601 West Evans Street, Denver, CO November 3-5, 1967 Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco, CA November 25, 1967 Earl Warren Showgrounds, Santa Barbara, CA December 1, 1967 Long Beach Auditorium, Long Beach, CA (supporting The Doors) December 8-9, 1967 1601 West Evans Street, Denver, CO 1968 January 26, 1968 Campus Hall, University of California, Irvine, CA March 15, 1968 Valley Music Theatre, Woodland Hills, CA (supported bt Iron Butterfly & The Hook) March 22-23, 1968 Kaleidoscope, Los Angeles, CA (supporting Jefferson Airplane) April 1 or 2, 1968 Palm Springs Pop Festival, Palm Springs, CA April 8-11, 1968 Kaleidoscope, Los Angeles, CA May 3-5, 1968 Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco, CA June 28-30, 1968 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco, CA LIVE SHOW: July 4, 1968 Kaleidoscope, Los Angeles, CA (p1) LIVE SHOW: July 5, 1968 Kaleidoscope, Los Angeles, CA (p1) LIVE SHOW: July 9, 1968 Kaleidoscope, Los Angeles, CA (p1) LIVE SHOW: July 11, 1968 Kaleidoscope, Los Angeles, CA (p1) LIVE SHOW: July 17, 1968 Whisky-A-Go-Go, Los Angeles, CA (p3) LIVE SHOW: July 18, 1968 Whisky-A-Go-Go, Los Angeles, CA (p3) LIVE SHOW: July 19, 1968 Kaleidoscope, Los Angeles, CA (p1) LIVE SHOW: July 19, 1968 Whisky-A-Go-Go, Los Angeles, CA (p3) LIVE SHOW: July 20, 1968 Whisky-A-Go-Go, Los Angeles, CA (p3) LIVE SHOW: July 21, 1968 Whisky-A-Go-Go, Los Angeles, CA (p3) LIVE SHOW: August 2, 1968 Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA (p2) LIVE SHOW: August 3, 1968 Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA (p2) LIVE SHOW: August 4, 1968 Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA (p2) LIVE SHOW: August 3 or 4, 1968 First Annual Newport Pop Festival, Orange County Fairgrounds, Costa Mesa, CA (p1) LIVE SHOW: August 10, 1968 Grande Ballroom, Detroit, MI (p1) VIDEO SESSION: September 1968 Beat Club (TV), Bremen, Germany On The Road Again September 30, 1968 Marquee, London, ENG October ?, 1968 Bank, Torrance, CA October 3-5, 1968 Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA (supported by Gordon Lightfoot & Cold Blood) October 19, 1968 Santa Rosa Fairgrounds, Santa Rosa, CA LIVE SHOW: November 15, 1968 Bank, Torrance, CA (p1) LIVE SHOW: November 22, 1968 Fillmore East, New York City, NY (p1) LIVE SHOW: November 23, 1968 Fillmore East, New York City, NY (p1) LIVE SHOW: December 6, 1968 Grande Ballroom, Detroit, MI (p1) LIVE SHOW: December 7, 1968 Grande Ballroom, Detroit, MI (p1) LIVE SHOW: December 21, 1968 Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA LIVE SHOW: December 31, 1968 Shrine Hall, Los Angeles, CA 1969 LIVE SHOW: 1969 Kaleidoscope, Los Angeles, CA February 7-8, 1969 Fillmore East, New York City, NY VIDEO SESSION: February 1969 Beat Club (TV), Bremen, Germany (Broadcast February 22, 1969) Going Up the Country LIVE SHOW: April 10, 1969 Robertson Gym, UC Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA LIVE SHOW: May 11, 1969 Aztec Bowl, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA (p1) LIVE SHOW: June 25, 1969 Boston, MA LIVE SHOW: July 4 or 5, 1969 First Atlanta International Pop Festival, Middle George Raceway, Atlanta, GA LIVE SHOW: July 29, 1969 Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA (p2) LIVE SHOW: July 30, 1969 Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA (p2) LIVE SHOW: July 31, 1969 Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA LIVE SHOW: August 1, 1969 Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA (p1) LIVE SHOW: August 1, 1969 Fillmore East, New York City, NY (p1) (p5) LIVE SHOW: August 2, 1969 Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA (p1) LIVE SHOW: August 2, 1969 Fillmore East, New York City, NY (p1) (p5) LIVE SHOW: August 3, 1969 Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA (p1) (? East or West ? not both) Henry Vestine left the group after an on-stage blow up at the Fillmore West between himself and Larry Taylor. The next night after Mike Bloomfield and Harvey Mandel jammed with Canned Heat, both were offered Vestine's spot in the band's line-up and Mandel accepted. The new lineup played two dates at the Fillmore before appearing at Woodstock in mid-August. Line-up: August 1969 - May 1970 *Bob (The Bear) Hite - vocals, harp *Alan (Blind Owl) Wilson - guitar, harp, vocals *Harvey (The Snake) Mandel - guitar *Larry (The Mole) Taylor - bass *Adolfo (Fito) De La Parra - drums LIVE SHOW: August 16, 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair, Max Yasgur Farm, Bethel, New York LIVE SHOW: August 30, 1969 Texas International Pop Festival, Dallas International Motor Speedway, Lewisville, TX LIVE SHOW: August 31, 1969 New Orleans Pop-Festival, Louisiana Speedway, Gonzales, LA November 9, 1969 Agrodome, Vancouver, BC (supported by Moody Blues) LIVE SHOW: December 6, 1969 Academy of Music, New York City, NY LIVE SHOW: 1969 Boston Tea Party, Boston, MA LIVE SHOW: 1969 Arc, Boston 1970 LIVE SHOW: January 25, 1970 Fairfield Hall, Croydon, England (p7) VIDEO SESSION: January 1970 Beat Club, German TV (broadcast January 31, 1970) Let's Work Together VIDEO SESSION: May 25, 1970 Beat Club (TV), Bremen, Germany (a0) Move On Down The Road VIDEO SESSION: May 1970 Beat Club (TV), Bremen, Germany (broadcast May 30, 1970) Future Blues LIVE SHOW: June 29, 1970 Boston Tea Party, Boston, MA LIVE SHOW: June 28, 1970 Bath Festival of Music, Shepton Mallet, ENG LIVE SHOW: Winter 1970 Montreaux, SUI LIVE SHOW: June 29/30, 1970 Rotterdam Pop Festival, Kralingen Park, Rotterdam LIVE SHOW: July 1970 Kickapoo Creek Festival LIVE SHOW: August 11, 1970 Cumberland Co Arena, Fayetteville, NC LIVE SHOW: August 14, 1970 The Hump, Marco Polo Resort Hotel, Miami, FL Back Door Man (with Jim Morrison) Rock Me (with Jim Morrison) Fever (with Jim Morrison) I'm A Man (with Jim Morrison) Al (Blind Owl) Wilson - guitar, harp, vocals (died September 3, 1970) Line-up: *Bob Hite - vocals, harp *Henry Vestine - guitar *Joel Scott Hill - guitar *Antonio de la Barreda - bass *Adolfo De La Parra - drums September 10, 1970 Baarn December 5, 1970 Newark State College, Union, NJ December 11-12, 1970 Fillmore East, New York City, NY 1971 1971 Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, CA August 22, 1971 Live At The Turku Rock Festival Finland 1971 Carnegie Hall, New York City, NY September 1971 Bremen, GER (German TV "Beat Club" performing "A Long Way From L.A." & "Big City Woman", broadcast September 25, 1971) 1972 May 17, 1972 Agrodome, Vancouver, BC (supported by Taj Mahal) Returning from Europe in May 1970, an exhausted Larry Taylor left the band to join John Mayall (who had relocated to Laurel Canyon) and was followed by Mandel. With Taylor and Mandel gone, Vestine returned on guitar, accompanied by bassist Antonio de la Barreda who had played with de la Parra for five years in Mexico City and was previously a member of the groups Jerome and Sam & the Goodtimers. This lineup went into the studio to record with John Lee Hooker the tracks that would yield the double album, Hooker 'n Heat. On September 3, 1970, just prior to leaving for a festival in Berlin, Alan (Blind Owl) Wilson died of a barbiturate overdose. Joel Scott Hill, who had played with the Strangers and later Moby Grape, was recruited to fill the void left by Wilson's death. The band still had a touring contract for September, as well as upcoming studio dates. That fall they toured Australia and Europe; including a show played in Baarn, the Netherlands, for the VPRO television program Piknik and the following summer they appeared at the Turku Festival in Finland. This lineup of Hite, Vestine, Scott-Hill, de la Barreda and de la Parra did not last, as the band was in disarray; Scott-Hill and de la Barreda's attitudes were not fitting in with the rest of the band, and drummer de la Parra decided to call it quits. He was talked out of it by Hite, and it was Scott-Hill and de la Barreda who left the band instead. New additions to the group were James Shane on rhythm guitar and vocals, Ed Beyer on keyboards, and Richard Hite (Bob Hite's brother) on bass. This lineup recorded what would be the band's last album for Liberty/United Artists Records, The New Age, released in 1973. The band embarked on another European tour, during which they recorded a session with Memphis Slim in Paris for the album Memphis Heat. They also recorded with Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, while still in Paris, for the album Gates on the Heat (both were released by Blue Star Records). Line-up: *Bob Hite - vocals, harp *Henry Vestine - guitar *James Shane - rhythm guitar, vocals *Ed Beyer - keyboards *Richard Hite - bass *Adolfo De La Parra - drums On a subsequent promotional tour of Europe, a new "horn band" sound included the talents of Clifford Solomon and Jock Ellis. Shortly thereafter, new manager Howard Wolf set up the struggling band with a gig at California's Mammoth Ski Resort. Bob Hite, in a foul rage, went off on the crowd, to the disapproval of Vestine, James Shane and Ed Beyer, who quit the band as a result. Taking the place of those who departed were pianist Gene Taylor and guitarist Chris Morgan, who both joined in late 1974. Taylor departed in 1976 in response to an argument during a tour of Germany, and after a brief fill-in by Stan Webb (of Chicken Shack), Mark Skyer came in as the new guitar player. This lineup recorded the 1977 album Human Condition. Before long, more arguments ensued, and Mark Skyer, Chris Morgan and Richard Hite all quit the band in 1977. The Bear promptly hired a new bass player, Richard Exley, after befriending him on tour and watching his performance with the band Montana. Becoming fast friends with Hite, Exley toured the remainder of the year with the band and collaborated with Hite on many of the arrangements during their 1976 Texas Bicentennial Comeback Tour. Exley then quit the band after an argument over Hite's excessive drinking and drug use on stage. Frustrated and fed up, Exley joined the Texas Heartbreakers at the end of that year but returned periodically to fill in as a favor to Hite while the band struggled to find permanent members amidst heavy drinking and drug use. Exley remarked about his time with the band, "No one ever remembers the bass player...". This effectively reduced the band's members to just Hite and de la Parra. The popularity of the blues genre rose in the late 1970s and early 1980s with the release of the film The Blues Brothers. During this time, de la Parra had bought into the partnership of an East Hollywood recording studio at which he was again working with former bandmate Larry "The Mole" Taylor. Taylor had been associating with virtuoso guitar player Mike "Hollywood Fats" Mann and virtuoso piano player Ronnie Barron and before long Taylor, Barron and Hollywood Fats were in the band. This version referred to by Hite and Mann as the "Burger Brothers" lineup, was soon joined by blind piano player Jay Spell, as Ronnie Barron walked out on the band after a blow-up between himself and Taylor. Line-up: *Bob Hite - vocals, harp *Mike Mann - guitar *Jay Spell - keyboards *Larry Taylor - bass *Adolfo De La Parra - drums The Burger Brothers played the Tenth Anniversary of Woodstock at Parr Meadows in 1979. A recording of which eventually surfaced in 1995. Another recording made around this time was for Cream Records, who desired a more R&B-style sound than what Canned Heat was currently offering. This upset Hollywood Fats and Mike Halby was brought in to finish the project. After a falling out with de la Parra and Hite, Taylor and Mann were increasingly unhappy with the musical direction of the band and eventually left to focus more attention on their Hollywood Fats Band. Jay Spell was still on board and brought in bass player Jon Lamb and long-time guitarist Henry Vestine once again made his return to the band, with Hite and De la Parra as its leaders. Line-up: *Bob Hite - vocals, harp *Henry Vestine - guitar *Mike Halby - guitar *Jay Spell - keyboards *Jon Lamb - bass *Adolfo De La Parra - drums No longer managed by Howard Wolf, Eddie Haddad set the band up touring military bases across the U.S., Europe and Japan non-stop. Returning with little pay after the hellacious tour, Jay Spell quit the band. Jon Lamb stayed on for one more tour in the south and just before Christmas 1980, he too quit the band; Hite attempted to give it another try by hiring a large enthusiastic biker with the moniker "The Push" as their manager; hoping that the band's popularity with the biker community would give them renewed energy. With new bass player Ernie Rodriguez joining the ranks, Canned Heat recorded the 1981 album, Kings of the Boogie, the last album to feature Hite on a few of the tracks. On April 5, 1981, having collapsed from a heroin overdose during a show at the Palomino in Los Angeles, Bob Hite died in de la Parra's Mar Vista home at the age of 38. The death of frontman Bob "The Bear" Hite was a devastating blow that most thought would end the career of Canned Heat; however de la Parra kept the band alive and would lead it back into prosperity over the next few decades. An Australian tour had been set up before Hite's death and harmonica player Rick Kellog had joined to finish off the Kings of the Boogie album. This incarnation of Canned Heat without Bob Hite was nicknamed the "Mouth Band" by Vestine and was a huge hit in Australia, especially with the biker crowd. Under the management of "The Push", the band toured the States playing biker bars and began work on a video known as "The Boogie Assault", starring Canned Heat and various members of the San Francisco chapter of the Hells Angels. As production for "The Push's" video dragged on, a drunken Vestine got into a brawl with Ernie Rodriguez and was once again out of the band, this time replaced by guitarist Trout. Line-up: *Trout - guitar *Rick Kellog - harp *Mike Halby - guitar *Ernie Rodriguez - bass *Adolfo De La Parra - drums This version of Canned Heat would also soon dissolve with a dispute between Mike Halby and de la Parra after the recording of the Heat Brothers '84 EP. During the 1980s the interest in the type of music played by Canned Heat was revived and, despite the past tragedies and permanent instability, the band appeared to be revitalized. In 1985, Trout had left to join John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, so Vestine was once again back in the band and he brought with him new musical talent from Oregon in James Thornbury (slide guitar and lead vocals) and Skip Jones (Bass). They were dubbed the "Nuts and Berries" band by de la Parra, due to their love of organic food. It was not long before former members Larry Taylor (replacing Jones) and Ronnie Barron returned to round out the group. Versions of this lineup would record the live album, Boogie Up The Country, in Kassel, Germany, in 1987 and also appear at the Blues Festival Live in Bonn '87. Barron, just as before did not last long in this lineup, nor did Vestine, who was once again ousted from the band due to pressure from Larry Taylor. Replacing Vestine on lead guitar was Junior Watson, whose style emulated Hollywood Fats (who died in late 1986). Line-up: *Junior Watson - guitar *James Thornbury - slide guitar, vocals *Larry Taylor - bass *Adolfo De La Parra - drums The lineup dissolved in the early 1990s as Junior Watson went his own way and Mandel came back into the fold, bringing along Ron Shumake on bass to take some of the load off of Larry Taylor. Mandel, however, left the band after a few tours, so female singer and guitarist Becky Barksdale was brought in for a tour of France, Germany and Hawaii; but lasted no longer. Smokey Hormel was also considered, but only played one gig before friction between de la Parra and Larry Taylor caused Taylor to bitterly go his separate way with Hormel in tow. The revolving door that was Canned Heat continued as Vestine and Watson made their returns to the lineup as the "Heavy Artillery" band. Several former members including Mandel, Barron and Taylor joined up in de la Parra's effort for the album, Internal Combustion, which was released in 1994, but saw only limited release due to the returning manager Skip Taylor's falling out with Red River Records. In 1995, James Thornbury left the band with no hard feelings after ten years of service to live the married life in New South Wales, Australia and new front-man Robert Lucas came in to take his place. Mandel returned and Shumake left the band in 1996, and after the position of bassist was taken temporarily by Mark "Pocket" Goldberg, Greg Kage took the reins as the bass player, and after a reconciliation with Larry Taylor the band released, Canned Heat Blues Band, in 1996. On October 20, 1997, a tired and cancer stricken Vestine died in Paris, France following the final gig of a European tour. Taylor and Watson subsequently left the band. Line-up: *Robert Lucas - guitar, vocals *Harvey Mandel - guitar *Ronnie Barron - keyboards *Greg Kage - bass *Adolfo De La Parra - drums By 2000, Robert Lucas had departed and the line-up was completed by Dallas Hodge (vocals, guitar), John Paulus (guitar) and Stanley "Baron" Behrens (saxophone, flute). Lucas returned to Canned Heat in late 2005 but left again in the fall of 2008. He died, age 46, on November 23, 2008, at a friend's home in Long Beach, Calififornia; the cause was an apparent drug overdose. Other more recent deaths of band members included Bob Hite's brother, bassist Richard Hite, who died at age 50 on September 22, 2001, due to complications with cancer. Also, former bassist Antonio de la Barreda died of a heart attack on February 19, 2009. From late 2008 to the Spring of 2010 the lineup included Dale Spalding (guitar, harmonica and vocals), Barry Levenson (lead guitar), Greg Kage (bass), and classic lineup hold-over and band leader de la Parra on drums. Mandel and Larry Taylor toured with Canned Heat during the summer of 2009 on the Heroes of Woodstock Tour to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Woodstock. In 2010, Taylor and Mandel officially replaced Kage and Levenson, and as of 2012, this lineup (de la Parra, Taylor, Mandel, and Spalding) continues to tour regularly. In October 2012, during a festival tour in Spain, France and Switzerland, Randy Resnick was called to replace Harvey Mandel who had to quit the tour for a family emergency. Resnick played two dates, October 4 and 5, but had to return home for prior commitments. Fito de la Parra was able to get John Paulus to fly in from Portland to finish the tour. On September 7, 2013 John Paulus once again subbed for Harvey Mandel at The Southern Maryland Blues Festival. The current line up of Canned Heat has no members of the band's original line up from 1965; however, it does include all three of the surviving members from the band's two 'classic' line-ups', those being de la Parra, Taylor, and Mandel. Each of these three members also played with the band at Woodstock.